first pitch: 7:10 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Chris Young (8-4, 3.59 ERA) vs Derek Lowe (7-7, 4.19 ERA)
preview: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
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I’ve got nothing this morning, so we’ll get the IGD fired up a little early today. Thank goodness the Padres didn’t get swept in San Francisco. If there’s anything worse than a Giants fan, it’s a happy Giants fan.
Off to LA for a three-game set with the Dodgers. Reliever Scott Williamson, recently acquired from the Cubs, will be in uniform for the Pads tonight — and not a moment too soon. Picking up a third baseman would a good next step. It seems like we keep hearing the same names but everything is just speculation at this point. I stand by my offer to play the position for food.
As for tonight’s game, we’ve got Chris Young and Derek Lowe on the mound. Lowe has allowed two or more runs in nine consecutive starts. After working six shutout innings against the Phillies on June 1, his ERA stood at 2.68 for the season. Since then, here’s what he’s done:
| IP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53.2 | 12.41 | 1.01 | 3.19 | 4.86 | 6.37 | |
| Stats courtesy of David Pinto’s Day By Day Database. | ||||||
So either the Padres are catching Lowe at a good time or he’s due for a strong outing. See, I can make any situation ambiguous — it’s a gift.
On the flip side, Young continues to confound by being a much better pitcher away from Petco Park than at the allegedly pitcher-friendly venue:
| IP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | ERA | BA | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 60.1 | 8.20 | 1.94 | 3.43 | 9.40 | 4.77 | .243 | .323 | .473 |
| Home | 52.1 | 5.85 | 1.03 | 2.75 | 7.39 | 2.24 | .181 | .248 | .314 |
| Stats courtesy of ESPN. | |||||||||
At home, opposing batters hit him about like Jose Valentin (.243/.322/.450 career). On the road, there aren’t really any hitters to compare his opposition stats to — he’s pretty much vintage Pedro Martinez level (without the strikeouts).
Young is an extreme flyball pitcher — nobody over the past 10 years even comes close to his 0.49 groundball/flyball ratio this season — but I still find it hard to believe that he had better success at Ameriquest Field last year (82.2 IP, 4.35 ERA) than he has so far at Petco Park. Last season, Ameriquest was #6 in MLB in park factor for runs at 1.076, while Petco was #30 at 0.803. This season, Petco has been closer to neutral (#23 at 0.935) but it still favors pitchers.
I guess Young didn’t get the memo.
yep..Vin Scully…there won’t be a stop in the talking until the game ends…how does he not run out of breath when he barely stops talking.
If Giles is that hurt that he can’t slide into 2nd when the ball is going to be there, he shouldn’t be in the lineup..
True. OTOH, I’m not sure Sledge hits that ball.
I would agree with that…although, all we needed was a flyball, which is essentially all it turned into..
Nice start for the boys…..their hitting the ball well so far…
Chris Young doesn’t hold runners particularly well…
Neither does the rest of the staff. That inning required way more effort than should have been necessary.
Geez..that’s gonna leave a mark…
Is it me, or does Mike Cameron against a RHP’s slider remind you of Phil Nevin?
RHP Scott Williamson joined his new teammates for the start of a three-game series against the Dodgers, following Saturday’s trade from the Chicago Cubs. To make room on the 25-man roster, INF Justin Leone was optioned to Triple-A Portland. “I’m excited,” said Williamson, who also pitched for Cincinnati and Boston and has undergone two Tommy John operations. “(General manager) Kevin Towers gave me an opportunity to show I’m healthy and can pitch again. I’m sure they’re going to put me in situations that are going to be best for me and help the team. They have one of the best closers in the game (Trevor Hoffman), and it’ll be an opportunity to learn from him. It’s going to be good for my career.” … 1B Adrian Gonzalez, who brought a 14-game hitting streak into the series, was named NL player of the week.
yeah..Cameron does tend to look “nevin like” on the low outside slider… Could be why he struck out 187 times in one season. One of the few stats that are worthwhile that i’ve learned from Vin Scully tonight..
Homers since the ASB: Gonzalez 5, Dodgers 3.
8:03 pm on Monday July 24th….Mike Piazza threw out a base stealer…
Seems like the first one the Padres have thrown out all month. Oh wait, it was.
Damn, Giles catches that if he’s healthy.
Death.
Taxes.
Hoffman.
Shoddy Dodgers defense?
Man, as TG said, Either’s been getting good wood on those pitches…
I just checked the post-All Star NL hitting stats, Padres are tied 2nd in HR with St. Louis at 15 going into tonight (Atlanta has 30). We’re also 3rd in 2B w/ 27 to Arizona’s 29 & Colorado’s 28. Keep up the hittin’ boys!
You said good wood.
Then again, if you hang the slider, Cameron can hit it a long way.
Absolutely amazing! Cameron…. wow, amazing!
Cla Meredith is making short work of the bottom of the lineup here. Looking really sharp
Cla Meredith works a very quiet seventh. He alone would have been worth Doug Mirabelli. BTW, the other guy in that deal, Josh Bard, had a terrific pinch at-bat against Lowe ahead of Cameron’s homer, drawing a walk after working the count full and fouling off several pitches.
Pirates have a 3b we’re all familiar with.
Dude’s hitting .296!
Scotty is making it so we’ll want him to be traded!
True enough Lynch…but at the same time…Sledge has to catch that ball. I take back what I said earlier about Giles..
It might make sense to move Scotty to lower leverage situations temporarily.
Or to have the defense not stink behind him.
WOW was that an incredible play…
Welcome to the Padres, Mr. Williamson!
Free baseball.
Now let’s get him a W!
Linebrink’s K/PA and K/9 have fell last year and have done so again this year.
Linebrink is hurting his trade value for us – dang him!
Wow, he didn’t get the out but that was a fantastic stop by Barfield.
Blum and Sledge are hurting Linebrink’s trade value.
Also, Linebrink’s Infield Fly percentage is less than half what it was last year. Popups are about as good as strikeouts. So, that’s bad.
Towers should’ve traded Linebrink for Betemit awhile ago. It was mistake not to do so and his insistence on not breaking up the bullpen is silly. Who’s worth more – an everyday player or a setup guy? Right.
The defense is actually turning a higher percentage of his allowed balls in play into outs than in previous years.
Well, Linebrink has a higher WARP, but Betemit has a higher WS. meh
PECOTA figures that Betemit would be worth more over the next few years, though.
Why bring in Linebrink in the 8th?
He pitched a bunch yesterday, and Meredith had only thrown about 10 pitches in the 7th.
[ And that's two that Sledge has botched ]
They tossed him for that?
That’s bullshit.
I thought it was a c rappy call in the 9th when Barfield was called out on strikes…this one looked just as bad.
Also, did he swing?
I’m sick of these umpires.
I would say that he didn’t…. Vin Scully didn’t have an opinion on tv..
Mr. Timmons is a pretty sensitive dude, I guess.
I had looked away and didn’t see. If it was comparable to the Barfield call, that’s crap.